If healthcare reform resulted in salary caps of $40k for nurses would you stay?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm not asking for a debate about wether or not healthcare reform would result in salary caps, I just want to know would you stay in nursing if your salary was capped at $45k? what about $35k? where would you draw the line? for arguments sake lets say advanced practice nurses got a $10k premium.

If I didn't have to pay out the nose for crappy health insurance for my family, and I could make my current bills, yes, I'd work for $40,000/yr.

i think that this is one thing many are forgeting.....and that many nurses are working for these wages NOW....i do think there would have to be geographic dif. as there are now...i am sure that the wage in Manhattan is more than the wage in Missoula ......cost of living being drastically dif.

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Specializes in LPN, Peds, Public Health.

Ha I would be happy to make 40K a year right now!

Im not an RN, but will be soon.

I have, however, been an LPN for 7 years and I make just under 30k a year.

And yes, in my state that IS below the poverty level. So I am considered living in poverty even though I have a career and work every single day.

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"...and nurses know what nurses need better than any politician or accountant so let's have a hand in steering this ship. -beejaycee

:yeahthat:

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Specializes in Making the Pt laugh..

We have Universal Healthcare in Australia and guess what?...The sky hasn't fallen. It is far from perfect and it works reasonably well.

There are a number of models of Universal Healthcare around the world, maybe looking at a number of them and make an educated decision based on that and your own situation. Dont let the media make up your minds for you.

BTW as a relativly junior nurse working 34 hours a week I make more than $40k (thats taking exchange rates into account)

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Specializes in neurology, cardiology, ED.

I just have to say that I left food service, with a 4 year degree, living in one of the most expensive cities on the east coast to go into nursing, and I was making $38,000/year at the time, in 2006. I was salaried, so I didn't have any opportunity to work for OT, and I worked 50+ hours a week for 9 months out of the year (I was at a university, so summers, I could cut back a little, but never less than 40).

So, if I could keep my 3-12 hour shifts a week, and still have the opportunity to do extra shifts for OT, I wouldn't mind being paid $40,000 a year for what I do, because I know what my other options would be. It's all in your perspective, I guess. :twocents:

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I already feel I am underpaid for the amount of work I am expected to do. You add more work to that because of the shortage there will be. You don't compensate me accordingly and I will retire or find something else to do. I am almost at that point now if the taxes keep going up. Why work?

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...I will retire or find something else to do. I am almost at that point now if the taxes keep going up. Why work?

Why work, indeed. Welcome to the United Socialist States of America.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

"How is starting an active discussion "spreading unfounded fear"? You only want to think about and discuss ideas are set in stone? It's not okay to discuss "what ifs"?

A truly unbiased discussion would be based upon this question:

"If healthcare reform included nursing salary caps, would you still want to be a nurse?"

Arbitrarily assigning a relatively low salary is inflammatory, in my opinion. But as in any open discussion, all opinions should be allowed, even those who take issue with the tone of the question.

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Who are you and why are your spreading this nonsense about salary caps? I think you are an employee of a lobbying group/ insurance company that is opposed to fixing our system and you are trying to scare us into opposing reform. Either quote a senator or representative who is trying to fix our salaries, or shut up.

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It's a fool's question, because that would never happen.

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Specializes in Hospice.
It's a fool's question, because that would never happen.

Never say never. Even as we speak, there's a thread in progress concerning backlash against nurses in California (search for the thread about repercussions from the TV show Nurse Jackie).

While I agree that the OP could have been worded in a different manner, I think the question is legitimate in that we need to think about how we'd feel if it was our ox being gored.

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We should be discussing facts, not opinions. You are entitled to your opinions, but don't pass them off as facts. The discussion on health care is too important to be clouded by opinions with no facts to back them up.

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